Referees - What is the problem and what can we do about it?

makingwaves

Well-Known Member
It's clear that we are refereed to a different standard - I don't think anyone on the forum would argue that? I think we want to stay clear of the tinfoil hat conspiracy theories and try and figure out what the issue actually is and what if anything we can do about it?

I think we need to be realistic and realise not every referee is a Celtic fan or corrupt - albeit there is one obvious exception who is a blatant cheat (we all know who that is).

We know Celtic have managed to get themselves a huge advantage in the "corridors of power" of Scottish football - but there's no way that gets as far as referees (although is obviously does get as far as compliance officers!)

Is it more down to how they seemingly have managed to get almost complete control of the Scottish press and therefore get to set "the narrative"? There is no doubt the press have an influence on these guys, particularly with the witch-hunt against Morelos.

Does it all go back to referees strike? Celtic and Lennon single handedly caused it - and I think it would be fair to say they have been the main benefactor of the whole thing? Has it just now been put into the mindset of these guys, even subconsciously, to referee in a certain way? Are they scared of being criticised by Celtic and/or having their windows tanned?

What can we do about it? Do we just need to the club to make regular statements? We saw how far that got us over lockdown. We can't have Gerrard speak out, as he will just end up sitting in the stands?
 
Easy . Over the past 21 years since that day in May 99. Celtic , their fans and the media have intimidated refs to the point where it’s not worth the hassle on their own personal lives to give a game changing decision against them. They are only human and over the years we have seen windows panned in , physical attacks on a field and abuse from all sides resulting in that ref strike. Most arnt corrupt in the sense they are poets . But they are corrupt in the fact most will just take the easy option. It’s not worth the effect on them personally and their family
 
The only way I see it changing is with proper pressure on them due to fear. Fear of headlines accusing them of cheating. Fear of threats. Fear of altercations with our club.

The mentally challengeds spent the best part of a decade creating that environment through death threats, face to face threats from their manager, negative headlines, accusations of bigotry and ultimately the refereeing strike they caused. They have used every dirty tactic in the book over the last 10 years.

How we achieve the same to restore balance now I don’t know.

Everything going in their favour and against us is now so ingrained in our game that it is just ignored by everyone outwith a section of our support. I’m almost at the stage where I feel like we are just going to have to accept being cheated every other week.
 
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The only way I see it changing is with proper pressure on them due to fear. Fear of headlines accusing them of cheating. Fear of threats. Fear of altercations with our club.

The mentally challengeds spent the best part of a decade creating that environment through death threats, face to face threats from their manager, negative headlines, accusations of bigotry and ultimately the refereeing strike they caused. They have used every dirty tactic in the book over the last 10 years.

How we achieve the same to restore balance now I don’t know.

Everything going in their favour and against us is now so ingrained in our game that it is just ignored by everyone outwith a section of our support. I’m almost at the stage where I feel like we are just going to have to accept being cheated every other week.



It is every week but we should never accept it we should appoint a spokesperson who the CO can cite every week and then legally challenge for hypocrisy restraint of change and challenge the refs under the Health and Safety at work act sue them personally if someone injured by a player who earlier should have been carded
 
Refs know if they give a tight decision to Rangers and it turns out to be wrong, their lives will be hell for weeks - especially last season and this one.

So subconsciously they take the easy option. Human nature I suppose.

This is why we need VAR pronto.

I don't think the refs are cheats (other than Clancy), so if they could review VAR then at least they can use that as their 'evidence' for making certain decisions. This would also mean they have nowhere to hide for missing a lot of blatant things.

Those against VAR are actively hurting our club.
 
Easy . Over the past 21 years since that day in May 99. Celtic , their fans and the media have intimidated refs to the point where it’s not worth the hassle on their own personal lives to give a game changing decision against them. They are only human and over the years we have seen windows panned in , physical attacks on a field and abuse from all sides resulting in that ref strike. Most arnt corrupt in the sense they are poets . But they are corrupt in the fact most will just take the easy option. It’s not worth the effect on them personally and their family
This pretty much
 
Celtc openly claimed before season 2009-2010 that they would " get in refs faces ". They did exactly that, often physically confronting refs toe to toe after games they lost. After repeated physical intimidation, the refs looked to both the SPL and SFA to support them. They received none, resulting in an unprecedented referee strike in Scotland 2010. Refs, and both the SPFL and SFA were now compromised. The Piggery Peasants cheap gangsterism has won them trophies and titles ever since.
 
Surley the like of Douglas Ross a Tory would be pretty fair and Dallas after growing up seen the abuse his family received, and I don’t think we go down the Timothy route making films , books , hiring private investigators that’s just embarrassing
 
Easy . Over the past 21 years since that day in May 99. Celtic , their fans and the media have intimidated refs to the point where it’s not worth the hassle on their own personal lives to give a game changing decision against them. They are only human and over the years we have seen windows panned in , physical attacks on a field and abuse from all sides resulting in that ref strike. Most arnt corrupt in the sense they are poets . But they are corrupt in the fact most will just take the easy option. It’s not worth the effect on them personally and their family
Which in itself is then corruption through fear.
 
The only way I see it changing is with proper pressure on them due to fear. Fear of headlines accusing them of cheating. Fear of threats. Fear of altercations with our club.

The mentally challengeds spent the best part of a decade creating that environment through death threats, face to face threats from their manager, negative headlines, accusations of bigotry and ultimately the refereeing strike they caused. They have used every dirty tactic in the book over the last 10 years.

How we achieve the same to restore balance now I don’t know.

Everything going in their favour and against us is now so ingrained in our game that it is just ignored by everyone outwith a section of our support. I’m almost at the stage where I feel like we are just going to have to accept being cheated every other week.
I guess I'm already there. I know, and knew last year, we won't be allowed to win the league. It's no coincidence we get the same refs continually.
 
Y
The refs are bent and corrupt, I don't see how you can change that.

We cant, so we go after them non stop. We openly employ private investigators to find dirt on the refs in there private lives. We do the same with a selection of sfa and spfl officials and certain members of thr media. Once we have the dirt we put it out there for the world to see.

These people hate us and will not stop, if we do nothing we deserve everything we get.
 
Surley the like of Douglas Ross a Tory would be pretty fair and Dallas after growing up seen the abuse his family received, and I don’t think we go down the Timothy route making films , books , hiring private investigators that’s just embarrassing
behaviour that you say is embarrassing does not seem to have done the scum any harm.
 
Jock Stein used their paranoia to say they they had to beat Rangers and the refs. We cannot sat that these days.
We need to pressure refs, on the pitch, in a polite way. Question decisions, spread it about.
As I pointed out, on Sunday, they got an offside decision in their favour, but no Rangers player claimed off side. If 2 or 3 had claimed, it make the linesman think.
 
The mentally challenged referees and linesmen are emboldened by the fact that their team run the governing bodies of Scottish football.

The non mentally challengeds among them are only too aware of the consequences of getting something wrong that benefits Rangers or goes against Celtic.

That's where we are and nothing will change unless Rangers as a club call it out.
 
It’s easier not to give us a decision than to give it. Such decisions are debated weeks after and the refs get it tight when they give us a decision. If it’s them that get the occasional one going against them it’s their club, mhedia (print and TV) and their fans pile on. Guy getting the jail for harassing and threatening Beaton for example. There’s no way refs are not compromised doing their job due to this. Beaton at Aberdeen comes to mind. There’s no new refs coming through and who could blame them! Serious and I mean serious consideration needs to be given to bring foreign refs in for a time. I know there’s not the money for that and the club that has it all sewn up will never agree to it!
 
the answers simple - introduce VAR. To be honest refs need it as its not an easy gig and I'm of the view that most mistakes (with the exception of Bent Kevs performances) are honest. Why we don't have it is a mystery. Sums up Doncasters utter incompetence) Up to date systems are portable and can "fit all" stadia ( evident by their use by UEFA)
 
Easy . Over the past 21 years since that day in May 99. Celtic , their fans and the media have intimidated refs to the point where it’s not worth the hassle on their own personal lives to give a game changing decision against them. They are only human and over the years we have seen windows panned in , physical attacks on a field and abuse from all sides resulting in that ref strike. Most arnt corrupt in the sense they are poets . But they are corrupt in the fact most will just take the easy option. It’s not worth the effect on them personally and their family

It certainly works. I worked beside the linesman that chopped off the Cadete goal at Ibrox. The amount of abuse he took from the mutants was terrible. They shouted abuse at him, threw things at him and even wired up his locker with a fake bomb.

The 6-2 game at the Saville Dome their first goal, IIRC, was offside. No flag was raised, the linesman was the same chap, who could blame him.
 
Easy . Over the past 21 years since that day in May 99. Celtic , their fans and the media have intimidated refs to the point where it’s not worth the hassle on their own personal lives to give a game changing decision against them. They are only human and over the years we have seen windows panned in , physical attacks on a field and abuse from all sides resulting in that ref strike. Most arnt corrupt in the sense they are poets . But they are corrupt in the fact most will just take the easy option. It’s not worth the effect on them personally and their family
You can add hiring a private detective to that list.
 
If we had VAR we'd be top of the league and flying. Celtics offside goal at the weekend, Hibs equaliser and others already this season in particularly in their games.

We simply will not be allowed to win the league this year. We've paid for our season tickets and we are just being robbed by the officials - its not right and it frustrates me the club aren't challenging it - blatant corruption.

If the club are serious about challenging for any trophies, I suggest we push and push and try find funding for VAR in our matches at least. Last season we probably wouldn't have messed up so badly with VAR and we'd have won the betfred cup. This year already there would be points gap at the top. Fucking shambles.
 
Our refs love cheating its been like a breath of fresh air and finished any problems with press or anyone at the piggery. They are more than comfortable going out to influence match after match that involves us or the tims it is part of scottish football. Im not sure why anyone is surprised as its been happening most weeks since we returned to the top level.

Madden next hes probably the worst.

We have the most sleekit and dishonest refs in the history of world sport.

Are they trained to cheat ? well i would think so Celtic have their men in place everywhere at sfa/spfl i doubt refereeing is any different. It would have been the first thing they would change when you see this quite sleekit style of letting dangerous challenges go as long as its a Rangers player hurt it cant be bad luck or poor standards.

Not sure what the answer is calling them cheats all the time might bring it out in the open but wont stop them, the way we focus on Clancy is utterly bizarre tho i cant help thinking its a trap being set by our enemies so they an bring his religion into it.... he is a cheat but then not many top refs up here are honest or have any integrity. As i said they love cheating.
 
So
It's not embarrassing. It works.
so you think
Writing books
Making a movie
Hiring private detectives
Causing a ref strike
Wanting to pick there own refs
Smashing refs houses up
Send refs deaths threats
Is al acceptable behaviour ??? Really ??
 
I genuinely think there’s a directive to give marginal calls against us. It just happens too often for it to be solely the result of incompetence.

This may not have been aimed so blatantly at every individual SPFL referee, but perhaps there’s an understanding that awarding those 50/50 calls in our favour tends to impede your career.
 
Surley the like of Douglas Ross a Tory would be pretty fair and Dallas after growing up seen the abuse his family received, and I don’t think we go down the Timothy route making films , books , hiring private investigators that’s just embarrassing

And that is something else Compliant Clerr ignored, the film done inside their hovel - Anybody but Celtic or whatever it was called.
 
Refs know if they give a tight decision to Rangers and it turns out to be wrong, their lives will be hell for weeks - especially last season and this one.

So subconsciously they take the easy option. Human nature I suppose.

This is why we need VAR pronto.

I don't think the refs are cheats (other than Clancy), so if they could review VAR then at least they can use that as their 'evidence' for making certain decisions. This would also mean they have nowhere to hide for missing a lot of blatant things.

Those against VAR are actively hurting our club.

Sorry, I do. Beaton, Madden and Robertson are definitely cheats.

Your final statement, however, is bang on the money.

All IMHO, of course.
 
First thing I'd do is put a microphone on them. That will expose itheir incompetence for all to hear.
Then let's.have our players question decisions for all to hear.
 
SG is up before the SFA on 8th of October. Perhaps we could get a few bodies to turn up and give them a noisy reception. Anyone interested?
A crowd of fans calling them corrupt cheats would attract the attention of the press who will undoubtedly be there.
 
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Is it worse since admin etc when a whole new level of hatred for Rangers seemed to rear up and bare its teeth? It was ok to revel in things not going our way and we had little power on or off the field to do much about it. The whole goading, heinous behaviour of the Hibs fans after the cup final comes to mind as a good example of - its ok to kick Rangers. That attitude is perhaps still out there, affecting the wider attitude towards us and influencing Refs performances even now.
Thankfully we are much stronger on the field, thank you board, gaffer and team! - but it means that most teams are sooooo up for their match against us and play with cup final-esq attitude and that underlying attitude perhaps still affects how we are refereed. We certainly don’t have it easy!
 
You highlight every inconsistency, every foul that is allowed with impunity by an opponent, yet is a yellow when it is a Rangers player who does the exact same thing.

Borna's tugging the arab's player's jersey a fortnight ago, yet an arab was afforded leniency for the exact same behaviour a minute beforehand on Kent, being a perfect example.

That stamp by Wright on Kent on Sunday there being but another incident, which happens every game.

The aftermatch interview is the perfect opportunity to show these incidents up, for what they are.

And by using the aftermatch interview, it gives the panel of whatever programme is screening our game no chance of ducking out of having to highlight the incident at hand.

And this is just about every week the manager would be doing this if he had the same mettle he had as a player.
 
We went for the wrong one with Collum. He is one of the less bad ones.

Clancy is by far the biggest cheat of them all.


I have said for a while now that the refereeing in Scotland is killing Scottish football. So long as they allow the thuggery which they do then we are playing a different game to the rest of the world. England has adapted - we still live in the 80s.
 
We are to saft as a club.
Give me david holmes and souness s attitude.
They would shit a brick with those 2.
And a campbell ogilvie as secretary as well.
 
We need the players to step up they all just roll over and take these mistakes. Seen on Saturday with Arfield chance all Hibs defence turned to shout at the linesman that he was offside. Not 1 rangers players even raised a hand. They make these decisions because they get away with it too easy.
 
Easy . Over the past 21 years since that day in May 99. Celtic , their fans and the media have intimidated refs to the point where it’s not worth the hassle on their own personal lives to give a game changing decision against them. They are only human and over the years we have seen windows panned in , physical attacks on a field and abuse from all sides resulting in that ref strike. Most arnt corrupt in the sense they are poets . But they are corrupt in the fact most will just take the easy option. It’s not worth the effect on them personally and their family
Proof that intimidation works.
 
We need to challenge every decision that we consider unfair, wrong and speak out every time.
Highlighting the lot, bad refs, media and video footage.
This has to be done.
It should have happened much sooner. It must happen now.
It's up to you Rangers.
 
So

so you think
Writing books
Making a movie
Hiring private detectives
Causing a ref strike
Wanting to pick there own refs
Smashing refs houses up
Send refs deaths threats
Is al acceptable behaviour ??? Really ??

Acceptable? No.

Effective? Well you tell me which team is cultivating all of the above and which team is getting shafted with regularity. I think you will find they aren’t the same.
 
Who the fuuk would want to be a referee in a football match.

It is not the best way to earn a few coins.
 
Jock Stein used their paranoia to say they they had to beat Rangers and the refs. We cannot sat that these days.
We need to pressure refs, on the pitch, in a polite way. Question decisions, spread it about.
As I pointed out, on Sunday, they got an offside decision in their favour, but no Rangers player claimed off side. If 2 or 3 had claimed, it make the linesman think.
Tav regularly tries to talk to the ref and gets blanked totally agree with the offside thing but honestly think it would've been ignored, hibs had 3 players on yellows imo we should've gone after them and in days gone by would have.
It's now a case of damned if we do damned if we don't we need a siege mentality everyone is our enemy that has to be drilled into players, call for everything and the quieter players have to be willing to take one for the team so to speak the only way to beat a bully is head on the board MUST come out swinging at some point as the refs,SFA and every other bastard are unsettling players and coaching staff.
 
In the case of the referee simply being inept, which is the vast majority, if Septic kick up a stink about their performance, a compliant media back them up, as do the authorities. Rangers make a mild criticism and it's met with derision and outrage from the media and results in the 'culprit' being cited.

I'm also convinced a couple of refs (we all know who) are genuine cheats, because no-one can be so consistently inept against one team. The evidence of this, of which there is plenty, simply goes unreported. If that lot had the catalogue of wrong decisions go against them that we have, all hell would have broken loose.

We don't just need to be better than them this season to win the league. We need to be miles better. Ineptitude and cheating WILL continue to cost us goals and points.
 
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